The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi and Ife indigenes on Monday celebrated the annual Aje Festival to harness blessings and economic growth for the state.

Aje Festival, dedicated to the deity of wealth and tradition, was led by the Ooni, who offered prayers for prosperity across the state, the South-West region and Nigeria as a whole.

The festival marks a significant cultural preservation and spiritual event for the Yoruba people, where prayers and symbolic rites are performed to attract wealth and abundance, as Ile-Ife remains the focal point of this annual event, reinforcing its place as the spiritual and cultural heartbeat of the Yoruba people.

Among the prominent figures at this year’s festival was the Iyalaje Oodua, Chief Toyin Kolade, traditional rulers and notable Yoruba leaders.

The Ooni’s wife, Queen Ademiluyi-Ogunwusi, told reporters that her husband celebrated the festival annually.

“Aje means wealth and prosperity; so it is wealth creation that ensures that our tradition and culture is celebrated. “Money rituals can’t bring money, only the work of our hands, ability to work hard, knowledge, and mind-set bring money, not any ritual.